Whole Foods: Vegan Ice Creams Review

One of my great pleasures in life is sampling different snacks across various grocery stores. Not long ago, I decided to pick up 5 types of vegan ice creams from Whole Foods (a definite splurge, as vegan ice creams don't come cheap). Some were standouts, and some were absolute bombs, so here's my review of them for those interested.

Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng: Book Review

I've been on an audiobook tear lately, starting with Celeste Ng's Little Fires Everywhere (which I'll review separately, but in short didn't find that compelling) and Everything I Never Told You, the latter of which surprised me in how much it swept me up and made me think. In fact, I breezed through all 11 hours of this recording in 2 days, finding it difficult to stop once I was sucked into the complex, multi-dimensional and tragic lives of each Lee family member and the central mystery around their middle daughter's death.

Part of it was the beautiful writing, which reads easily and poetically, painting clear imagery of each family member and offering us access into their deepest of thoughts, both conscious and unconscious. Another part was the realistic and deeply heartbreaking portrayal of being an Asian American and a bi-racial household in the America of the 1950s to 1970s, with unnerving parallels to the struggles around racism and conformity that still hold true today. And lastly, the suspense - what exactly happened to Lydia, the daughter who we the reader learn immediately is dead? We weave through timelines and generations to uncover everything that built up to this conclusion, and what's most satisfying is that ultimately we learn exactly what happened, but are still left with questions.

What I've been Watching During Quarantine + My Drama OST Playlist

To be honest, quarantine hasn't changed my habits much as even prior to it most of my free time was consumed by shows. That said, I've certainly been able to make more progress on certain Kdramas and other things on my list, and have also marathoned through some of the more popular hits.

I also created a Spotify playlist with some of my favorite drama OST tracks from over the years - take a listen if you're as big a fan of Kdrama songs as I am! I tried to be fairly selective, only picking songs that struck a certain emotional chord with me while watching (surprisingly few vs the total number of dramas I've seen). I also wish Spotify had a broader selection of older/less popular drama OSTs but oh well. I'll be keeping this playlist updated as I find more favorites. Note I do have older posts with my favorite Kdrama OSTs and Taiwan/China drama OSTs in case you want to take a listen.

So in case you're curious, here's the list of shows I've been working my way through during quarantine.

My Favorite Korean Drama Actresses

Let's be honest - most actors and actresses in the Kdrama scene are purely there for their looks, with very few actually having true acting abilities. Consequently, there are only a few actors that I actually enjoy watching and find likable in and of themselves, especially in the recent era of younger, idol-turned-actress domination in the Kdrama landscape.

I'm going to admit that as a fellow lady, I am much more critical of female roles, which have a tendency to be written in broad, simplistic strokes with "hard-working" yet unrealistically beautiful leads that I find hard to relate to. That said, there are certain actresses that somehow manage to bring their A-game to nearly all of their roles and are able to transform even the most one-dimensional of parts into something complex and easy to root for. Below are the ladies that I either respect for their talent or just plain like - you know, the ones who seem like genuinely good people who are dedicated to what they do. Just to caveat, I'm a little behind on Kdramas from the past couple years, and thus have a bias towards stars of the mid-2010s era.

Kingdom: Season 2 Review

I've lost count of the number of people I've now told to watch Kingdom (my season 1 review here), which released its second season at probably the best possible time. Nothing like a strange fiction-reality parallel of a easily contagious ailment to distract us during a perpetual lockdown. I managed to marathon through the six episodes in the first day of release (March 13th), which was both satisfying but also saddening because now I need to wait another year before season 3 (or will there be a season 3? See my thoughts after the spoilers section).

What's worth noting is that every single person who's acted on my recommendation to watch this series has gotten sucked in and powered through within a week. So if you haven't yet seen any of this, give it a chance as it's one of the most sharply plotted and worthwhile dramas I've seen in years. The trick is to make it past season 1 episode 2, as that's when you grow adjusted to the horror elements and when the story and intrigue pick-up.

This review though is to cover my thoughts on season 2, which finally resolves the incredible cliffhanger that we ended season 1 on. Read on for my full thoughts.

What I watched over the holidays

The holidays are nothing if not for the time to binge dramas and movies. With all the new streaming platforms, the options are vast, and I had quite the few weeks of doing nothing but sitting and watching everything I could. Here's my quick takes on all the new shows I caught up on:

My Favorite Podcasts: True Crime

True crime and other nonfiction podcasts were initially made popular by Serial, although I confess to having been bored stiff while listening to both its famed season 1 episode as well as the recent season 3 series around the ineffectiveness of the justice system in Cleveland. For me, a true crime podcast must be salacious and suspenseful enough to keep my attention while also feeling substantive and educational enough to be worth my time. Below are some of my favorites in this genre, and would love to hear any other recommendations you may have.

A Weekend in Austin, TX

Back in November I had a chance to spend a weekend in Austin, TX. It was filled with food, music and no shortage of sites and places to visit. Here's the itinerary we followed and all the stops we made:

My Favorite Podcasts: Business Edition

I've been an avid podcast listener for a while now, and my go-to genre is business topics and interviews. Podcasts feel like an engaging and often enjoyable way to take in the latest developments and get the perspectives of experts. I can also listen to them while cleaning or doing work that doesn't require full concentration, and over time I've accumulated a list of favorites, listed here for those who may be on the hunt for something new to listen to:

The Bachelorette: Season 15 Review & Reactions

I've been quietly watching The Bachelor and The Bachelorette for years now, and have seen so many of the tropes and dramatics that it's rare for any particular season to keep me engaged through its run. I dropped the franchise for a bit after the horrible bore and pointlessness that was Nick Viall's season (he couldn't even stay together with his finalist for a couple months), but then fell back in when I heard of the change-decision drama with Arie's season. After that, I sat through the retrospectively PAINFULLY BORING Becca season, the overhyped and very annoying Colton season (sorry, but never liked him or Cassie and never will, especially after seeing their very immature and fame-hungry Instagrams), which brings us to the just-completed season with Hannah Brown.

I have to say upfront, I was a believer in Hannah's potential as a lead from the very first rumors of her being the next Bachelorette. I don't understand how people could judge her so much for her toast mess-up with Colton, when she proved so real and entertaining the rest of his season (a bright light in a sea of rather superficial characters). I have certainly fumbled my share of speaking events, and related very much to the pain of it all. And as expected, her season didn't disappoint, though as with any season there were some draggy points in the middle when the Luke P drama overstayed its welcome. While I wouldn't call it the most watchable season ever (that honor belongs to either Chris Soules or Kaitlyn Bristowe), it was refreshing and pushed very much against the tropes that this show too commonly suffers from. The ending was certainly unexpected and Hannah was such a perfect lead for it all.

What to watch this summer: My Top 3 K-drama rom-coms

 
There are few better feelings than cozying up on a warm summer evening to a really good rom-com for hours on end. Since it's been so long since I've done a K-drama review, I figured I'd round up my top three rom-coms of the last two years into one post, for folks to watch (or re-watch) and enjoy while the air is hot and we are in the mood for heady summer romances.

The Bride of the Water God: Episode 1 First Impressions

This wasn't a show I was even remotely interested in watching, until I learned that it comes from the director of Nine and Queen In Hyun's Man, which are two of my favorite shows ever. With that said, episode 1 completely won me over, and really made me believe in the power of a good director in making a show go from middling to grand. I love the combination of quirky yet majestic that Bride has managed to seamlessly combine, and I even find myself surprisingly won over to both lead characters. They're not actors I would ever pick to watch, but Shin Se Kyung and Nam Joo Hyuk seem to really be putting their weight into their roles here and are a winning pair so far. All in all, a very solid first outing for Bride, which has me excited and eagerly anticipating what's to come.

This Week My Wife Will Have an Affair: Series Review

It's rare to find a show that balances a likable and intriguing set of leads with an equally interesting and surprising plot. But that's what This Week My Wife Will Have an Affair artfully achieved, which explains the fair amount of positive reviews it's garnered. This Week hooked us with the did-she/ didn't-she humor-filled premise, but then pulled out something more meaningful, which was a balanced look at marriage and human relationships. As someone who went in with zero expectations, I was very pleasantly surprised by what I got, and this stands as one of the few shows I completed in 2016 and enjoyed all the way through. 

Legend of the Blue Sea: Halfway Review

Unlike its predecessor You From Another Star, Legend of the Blue Sea isn't the sort of drama to immediately hook you in. It's more reminiscent of the writer's previous works (Queen of Reversals comes to mind), which take a handful of episodes to fully drop in its narrative and work its characters' magic on the viewers. Thus, while I remained ambivalent on the show at episode 3, at episode 10 I can say I'm fully 100% invested in watching Heo Joon Jae and our resident mermaid Shim Chung (and even more so their Joseon counterparts) get the happy ending they deserve.

Drama Updates: The K2, Jealousy Incarnate, Scarlet Heart Ryeo

I know it's been quite some time since my last post - but that certainly isn't because I'm not watching. In fact, I've racked up quite a view list, especially with the currently airing dramas, and felt it was about time to share my thoughts on a few of these - The K2, Jealousy Incarnate, and Scarlet Heart Ryeo.

W - Two Worlds: Episodes 1-2 Review

I was worried that W wouldn't live up to its hype, but the first two episodes totally met and exceeded expectations. I love nearly everything about this series so far, from the suspenseful story to the snazzy directing and perfect soundtrack. The story is the standout so far, and I'd expect nothing less from the writer of Queen In Hyun's Man and Nine. It dishes out plenty of suspense balanced with an intriguing mix of characters and perfectly placed meta references. The seemingly absurd premise of a comic book world coming to life feels grounded and thrilling, and already has me so curious to see what happens next. All in all, a very solid outing for the series.

Answer Me 1988: Finale Thoughts

Finally, an Answer Me series with the mystery husband of my choice! Third times the charm and as exaggerated as this may sound, it feels so, so good to get the end couple you've been rooting for. I can say with certainty now that while people might claim who the husband is doesn't matter, it totally does. After all, when you sink over 30 hours of your life into a show, you're looking for a payoff that's satisfactory and squeal-worthy, which you can only have if the guy you're rooting for gets the girl. Plain and simple.

Sassy Go Go: Series Review

Sassy Go Go (odd name aside) was a surprising win as a drama. It has all the feel-good elements needed for a relaxing, casual watch, with an absolutely adorable high-schooler romance that really overshadows all else. I'm generally not a fan of high school dramas, which can often feel too frivolous and plot-thin. While the storyline here is in fact relatively cliche and uninspiring, the lead characters are so charming and sweet that you're willing to endure the less exciting elements of the story to see them together. I'm referring specifically to Kim Yeol and Kang Yeon Doo, who had some of the cutest, most chemistry-laden scenes I've seen all year.

Pinocchio: Final Thoughts

Getting behind on the drama train is a mixed bag, in that you get to avoid the whole waiting game for episodes, but also just lose a lot of interest in these shows, making it difficult to reinvest in the series. Nonetheless, I've tried to power through some of the long-ago aired shows and wanted to ring in my final thoughts on Pinocchio. I know I was a major fan of this show when it first aired, but feel that it fell far short of its potential in the latter half.

Movie Reviews: Inside Out and The Avengers: Age of Ultron

For those thinking of going to theaters, I wanted to weigh my thoughts on two recent Disney productions, one of which I really enjoyed and the other which I loathed.